MLB Player News

Anderson (shoulder) struck out six and worked 4.1 scoreless innings in his rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Gwinnett. He scattered four hits and one walk in the 76-pitch outing.

Atlanta hasn't outlined the next step for Anderson, but manager Brian Snitker said Wednesday that there's a change the right-hander makes a fourth rehab start in the minors before rejoining the big club, according to Kris Willis of TalkingChop.com. Though Atlanta is eager to have Anderson back in the fold while it looks to hold off Philadelphia and New York for the division lead, the recent return of Huascar Ynoa from the 60-day injured list coupled with Touki Toussaint's success at the back end of the rotation will allow the team to take things slowly with Anderson.

Heaney (8-8) took the win over Boston on Wednesday, hurling seven innings and allowing two runs on one hit and two walks while striking out four.

Things didn't start well for the southpaw, as Xander Bogaerts took him deep to right field in the first frame. Heaney bounced back impressively, however, holding the Red Sox to one hit and no runs over the remainder of his outing. The veteran has struggled to keep the ball in the park since joining New York -- nine of the 16 hits he has allowed have left the yard -- but his superb outing against the division-rival Red Sox could be a step toward a turnaround. Heaney is tentatively scheduled to face Atlanta on the road early next week.

Arihara (shoulder) tossed a 35-pitch simulated game Tuesday and could begin a minor-league rehab assignment next week, the Associated Press reports.

Texas signed Arihara to a two-year, $6.2 million deal this winter with the expectation that he would be a mainstay in the rotation, but he made only seven starts before going on the injured list in early May with a shoulder aneurysm that required surgery. The 29-year-old initially appeared likely to be shut down for the season, but he progressed quicker than anticipated and now looks on pace to rejoin the big club by early September. According to the report, Arihara is only expected to make two rehab appearances before being reinstated from the 60-day IL, so his workloads will likely be limited if Texas brings him back in a starting role.

Gonzales evened his record at 5-5 after holding the Rangers to scoreless over 5.1 innings Wednesday in the Mariners' 3-1 victory. He scattered six hits and one walk and struck out three.

Since being tagged for a season-high-tying seven earned runs July 3 against Texas, Gonzales has avenged that loss in his subsequent three matchups with the Rangers, all of which have come within his last four outings. In those most recent three starts versus Texas, Gonzales has posted an 0.88 ERA and 0.74 WHIP in 20.1 innings. He'll draw a tougher matchup his next time out, with a road date in Oakland likely awaiting Gonzales on Monday or Tuesday.

Morton improved to 12-4 after limiting the Marlins to two runs while striking out nine over six innings Wednesday in Atlanta's 11-9 victory. He scattered three hits and a walk in the 89-pitch start.

The final outcome doesn't properly illustrate how dominant Morton was in one of his better outings of the season. He held the Marlins hitless through 4.1 innings, and he probably could have worked into the seventh if Atlanta didn't already hold a commanding 7-2 lead at the time of his departure. After a rocky start to the season, Morton has settled in nicely as Atlanta's ace since about mid-June. Over his last 12 starts, Morton has gone 7-1 with a 2.55 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 10.8 K/9.

Megill didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 6-2 extra-innings win over the Giants, giving up one run on five hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out six.

Despite delivering his third quality start of the year, Megill seemed headed for his third loss until the Mets finally scored their first run of the game in the ninth inning. The rookie right-hander will take a 3.21 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 60:15 K:BB through 56 innings into his next outing.

Berrios didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 8-5 loss to the Nationals, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out three.

The right-hander served up a three-run shot to Juan Soto in the first inning, but he settled down after that and gave the Jays a chance to rally -- which they did in the top of the seventh inning, getting Berrios off the hook for the loss. However, Brad Hand promptly gave the game away in the bottom of the frame. Through four starts for Toronto since coming over from Minnesota at the trade deadline, Berrios has a 3.80 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 19:8 K:BB through 21.1 innings.

Cobb (wrist) played catch Wednesday without issues, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Cobb hasn't pitched in nearly a month while dealing with wrist inflammation. Progress had previously been slow, with reports from last week indicating the injury wasn't responding well to treatment. He appears to be turning a corner, though it remains to be seen when he'll be ready for game action.

Luzardo dropped to 4-6 after giving up four runs on four hits and five walks while striking out four across three innings in Wednesday's 11-9 loss to Atlanta.

Luzardo pumped in only 42 of his 74 pitches for strikes and had a particularly rough stretch in the top of the fourth inning when he issued three consecutive walks. Poor control has been a recurring theme for Luzardo in his first four starts with Miami, as he's walked 16 batters in 17.2 innings over that stretch. Luzardo could be at risk of a demotion to the bullpen or to Triple-A Jacksonville once Trevor Rogers (personal) is reinstated from the restricted list.

Gray didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 8-5 win over the Blue Jays, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four.

Both runs came on solo shots by Teoscar Hernandez and Marcus Semien, but Gray was otherwise sharp as he delivered his second straight quality start. In four outings since heading east as part of the Max Scherzer/Trea Turner trade, the 23-year-old has an impressive 2.86 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 22:5 K:BB. If there's been an issue for Gray so far as a Nat, it's the difficulty he's had keeping the ball in the park -- he's served up seven homers in those four starts, but miraculously they've all come with the bases empty.